Asia Trade Summit 2019

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Overview

Free trade was under fire before the Brexit vote and the 2016 American presidential election. Non-tariff barriers were already on the rise in the years following the global financial crisis and contributed to growth in global trade flows falling behind that of global GDP growth for only the second time in more than two decades. There were some bright spots, including the completion of large-scale bilateral and regional free trade agreements, but those were also a further sign of the WTO’s diminished capability to function as a forum for advancing multilateral trade liberalisation. The new threats to trade arising from rising populism and disruptive technologies are, in other words, accelerating existing trends and seeding new ones.

The question of what is next for global trade has thus never been more relevant. If the rules-based system is to be shirked and bypassed—and potentially made redundant—by the very countries that founded it, an international dialogue is needed to establish why it has failed, what is needed to replace or amend it and how businesses must operate in the ensuing uncertainty. To that end, The Asia Trade Summit will seek to:

Begin building consensus on the reforms necessary to ensure that the World Trade Organisation remains a viable institution in the 21st century.

Establish the importance of technology in helping developing economies throughout the region integrate into the global trade system.

Encourage the private and public sector to engage in international trade in a manner that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Equip attendees with the knowledge and insight on the benefits of trade to strengthen arguments against the spread of economic nationalism.

Prepare attendees for a range of scenarios with regards to global trade and trade policy.

The Asia Trade Summit will convene those responsible for the advancement of global trade in general and these five issues in particular—regional trade negotiators, business leaders, ministers and deputy ministers for trade, academics and economists. The Economist Events will enhance the dialogue by facilitating bilateral and multilateral conversations between businesses and trade officials in closed-door environments throughout the summit.

The Economist Events’ philosophy is to tackle issues with a forward looking, uniquely global perspective. We aim to create events for the intellectually curious: people who enjoy ideas and who are passionate about the issues that define our world.

Why attend

The Economist Events offers a truly global perspective on a country’s place in the world and its future outlook. With the newspaper’s characteristic clarity and wit, these summits offer fresh and challenging perspectives.

Why does this topic matter now?
Trade is at the heart of the geopolitical tensions between America and China, an issue that is dominating international headlines. Understanding the repercussions of the trade war between the two world’s largest economies on the wider region is crucial for Asian businesses and governments. There is cause for optimism, too. Technology is disrupting trade like never before, making processes more efficient and inclusive. And many regional and bilateral trade agreements are advancing. The Asia Trade Summit will address all these issues, and more, and give the audience a complete assessment of trade-related developments in the region.

Key questions we will answer

Is open trade and globalisation in decline?

How will ongoing trade deal negotiations affect businesses in Asia?

How should globally-focused companies navigate the current uncertain geopolitical climate?

What will a China-led globalised world look like?

How will technology continue to disrupt trade in the region?

Speakers

Bernard Chan Pak-li

Under secretary for commerce and economic development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Bernard Chan Pak-li

Under secretary for commerce and economic development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Dr. Bernard Chan Pak-li was Political Assistant to the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development from March 2013 to June 2017.

Before joining the Government, Dr. Chan spent about 10 years working in the technology sector, gaining experience in intellectual property trading and crossover collaboration. From 2008 to 2013, Dr. Chan served as a member of the Kwun Tong District Council.

Dr. Chan holds a bachelor degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University, USA.

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen

Minister, Trade and Industry, Norway

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen

Minister, Trade and Industry, Norway

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen is a Norwegian politician, MP for the Conservative Party who has served as the Minister of Education and Research since 16 October 2013. He is currently the minister of trade and industry.

Isaksen edited the newspaper Xtra, published by the Young Conservatives (Unge Høyre), the youth wing of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2004, and he was the leader of the Young Conservatives from 2004 to 2008. Prior to entering politics full-time, Isaksen worked as a freelance journalist and was the political editor in the Gazette Minerva. Isaksen holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Oslo. His master's thesis was on Friedrich Hayek. In 2008 he published the book The Right Turn. For a New Conservatism, which was printed in three editions.

Hailing from Porsgrunn, he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Telemark during the 2005–2009 term. In the 2009 election he was the top candidate for the Telemark Conservatives and was elected to the parliament for the first time.

In 2007 he was named Norway's most talented young politician by VG

Ramon M. Lopez

Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines

Ramon M. Lopez

Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines

Ramon M. Lopez is the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). His extensive government experience with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), DTI, and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the early part of his career provided him with a solid background on macroeconomic and industry policy and program development that allowed him to adopt a more holistic trade approach when he moved to the private sector and became a top executive of a major Philippine food and beverage company for over 23 years. He led the entrepreneur advocacy Go Negosyo for 12 years until he was called to serve the country again under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration as the DTI Secretary. He chairs several institutions under DTI such as the Board of Investments (BOI), the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and several councils for MSME Development, Export Development, and Price Coordination. He also chaired the ASEAN Economic Ministers when the Philippines assumed Chairmanship in 2017, and is a founding member of the World Economic Forum-ASEAN Regional Strategy Group and Stewardship Board for International Trade and Investment System. He has received several awards such as: the Honorary Agora in Nation Building Award; the Nation Builders Award for Government Service for his role as prime mover in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development; and the Philippine Innovation Man of the Year Award in 2017 for the promotion of social entrepreneurship through innovation. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines and topped his Master’s Degree in Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts.

Ong Kian Ming

Deputy minister, Trade and Industry, Malaysia

Ong Kian Ming

Deputy minister, Trade and Industry, Malaysia

He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry (MITI) in July 2018.

Ong Kian Ming obtained his PhD in political science from Duke University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Bangi, representing the Democratic Action Party (DAP) which is part of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government coalition. He is a 2nd term Member of Parliament.

He was the Head of the Penang Institute office in Kuala Lumpur from 2014 to 2018.

Prior to being elected into public office, he was a lecturer and policy analyst at UCSI University, a private university in Kuala Lumpur. He was also the director of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP). Prior to his PhD, he worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the KL office and as a policy analyst with two think thanks, the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP) and the Socio-Economic Development and Research (SEDAR) Institute.

He holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge. He completed his O levels and A levels in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College in Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship. He studied in La Salle Petaling Jaya (Primary and Secondary) until Form 3.

Mohamed Saeed

Former minister of economic development, Maldives

Mohamed Saeed

Former minister of economic development, Maldives

Mohamed Saeed is the Minister of Economic Development of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. He served as a board member at Maldives Monetary Authority (Central Bank), Economic & Youth Council of the government and chaired the board of Investment of the Special Economic Zone. He played a crucial role introducing the Special Economic Zone Act as a means to diversify the country’s tourism-dependent economy.

Mr. Saeed is the Chief Negotiator of the country’s first bilateral Free Trade Agreement with China. He also concluded the Hongkong China Free Trade Agreement in 2017.

Mr. Saeed played a crucial role attracting investment finance and infrastructure development under President Yameen’s administration under which the country’s GDP per capita increased from US$4000 to nearly US$11000 in a span of 5 years. He looked after trade, transport and labor in crafting policies during the period 2013-2018.

Prior to his appointment to the cabinet in 2013, he held various key positions in the Tourism Industry.

He is a leading tourism policy expert with over 20 years of experience in the Industry.

Mr.Saeed is a graduate from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and International School of Tourism Science, Rome, where he specialized in the area of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Mr.Saeed is an advocate of modern financial and economic policies with a focus on economic diversification. He applies economics statecraft as a useful means of promoting economic welfare in the country.

Yi Xiaozhun

Deputy director-general, World Trade Organization

Yi Xiaozhun

Deputy director-general, World Trade Organization

Mr. YI Xiaozhun has been a Deputy Director-General at the World Trade Organization since October 2013.

Yi Xiaozhun has extensive experience in world trade and economics, both as a senior government official and subsequently as China's ambassador to the WTO. He represented China as a key negotiator in China’s WTO accession process, making an important contribution to the negotiations.

Prior to becoming China's ambassador to the WTO in 2011, Mr Yi was Assistant Minister and subsequently China's Vice Minister of Commerce in charge of multilateral and regional trade negotiations and cooperation. Besides his contribution to China’s WTO accession, he played a leading role in negotiating numerous free trade agreements (FTAs), including the China-ASEAN agreement, China's first FTA. He also worked as a diplomat at the Chinese Embassy in the United States for more than four years from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

Mr. Yi obtained a Master's degree in economics from Nankai University in China in 1999.

Adisorn Promtep

Director general, Department of Fisheries, Thailand

Adisorn Promtep

Director general, Department of Fisheries, Thailand

Dr. Promthep joined as a fisheries biologist, Sakolnakorn Fisheries Station, Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Fisheries and in 1987 he joined as a Fisheries Biologist, Water Sources Rehabilitation Section, Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Fisheries. In 2003 he was elected Minister-Counselor, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. In 2004 he was elected as the Minister, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. 2009 he was elected as the Minister, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Washington D.C., USA. In 2012 he was appointed as the Deputy Director, Department of Fisheries and was promoted as the Director General, Department of Fisheries, Thailand.

Helena König

Deputy director general, European Commission

Helena König

Deputy director general, European Commission

Helena König works in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade where she is currently the Deputy Director General responsible for Bilateral Relations with Asia, Africa and Latin America, trade in services, investment, intellectual property, public procurement, agriculture and SPS, and trade and sustainable development.

From June 2015 to May 2018, Ms König was the Director responsible for trade relations with Asia and Latin America, where she was notably in charge of a number of free trade agreements in the two regions.

From January 2012 to June 2015, she was the Head of Unit in the Unit responsible for trade relations with South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The unit was also in charge of the negotiations of FTAs with India and member countries of ASEAN. From June 2007 to the end of 2011, Ms König worked as Head of Unit for trade relations with the Far East in the Directorate General for Trade.

Ms König has worked on EU-Asia relations since 1997. Before joining DG Trade she was the Deputy Head of Unit of the Southeast Asia Unit in the Directorate General for External Relations. In this capacity, she has worked on the political aspects of EU relations with the ASEAN countries and has also been in charge of bilateral relations with several of the ASEAN countries.

Between 1992 and 1995, Ms König worked as a "Liaison Officer" for EU Affairs for the Moderate Party of Sweden and was also active in the "Yes to Europe" campaign preparing for Swedish membership of the EU. Following the Swedish decision (by referendum) to join the EU, she started working as an administrator in the European Peoples' Party in the European Parliament before joining the Commission in 1997.

Prior to that, she also worked for three years in the private sector (clothing and apparel).

Ms. König has a degree in Business Administration and Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.

Atsuyuki OIKE

Deputy chief negotiator, Japan

Atsuyuki OIKE

Deputy chief negotiator, Japan

Mr. OIKE is the deputy chief negotiator of TPP for Japan.

In 2010 he became the economic minister for The Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and Other International Organization in Geneva. In 2012 he was appointed the economic minister in Embassy of Japan in China. In 2014 he was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Director-General for Global Issues and Chief Negotiator for Climate change (Paris agreement). In 2016 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in the United States. In 2017 he was appointed in his current role of Deputy Chief Negotiator(Ambassador), TPP Headquarters, Cabinet Secretariat.

Tamaki Tsukada

Tamaki Tsukada

Tamaki Tsukada was appointed Deputy Assistant Minister (Deputy director general) for Economic Affairs (in charge of G20/G7 affairs) and Latin American Affairs in January 2019.

Prior to his current appointment he served briefly as Deputy Assistant Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs. Previously he was Chief Negotiator for Climate Change and Global Issues (2017-2018) for COP 24-25, while serving as board member of the Green Climate Fund and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. Worked in the areas of trade (TPP and bilateral FTAs), development cooperation (loan aid; policy planning; ODA budget) and energy & food security, among others. He was seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat in 2006-2008 as senior coordinator for overseas development cooperation and global health.

Graduated from Tokyo University (BA Law, 1987) and Oxford University (Merton College, BA/MA Modern History, 1990).

Andrew Hoad

Chief executive and managing director, Asia Pacific, DP World

Andrew Hoad

Chief executive and managing director, Asia Pacific, DP World

Andrew Hoad is the chief executive and managing director of DP World’s Asia-Pacific region, and has over 30 years of experience in the maritime industries in positions based within the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

Before taking up his current position, he held the position of executive vice-president of Asian Terminals Inc., DP World’s terminal portfolio within the Philippines, and has also led terminals in Peru and the Dominican Republic.

Mr Hoad began his career with the P&O Group, where he undertook a variety of management roles, including general manager for Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea region, before transferring to CSX World Terminals as commercial director and general manager for the Europe region. He joined DP World with its acquisition of CSX World Terminals in 2005, as commercial director for the Asia-Pacific region.

He is a graduate of Cambridge University, with logistics qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, and has participated in executive programmes at IMD Business School, the National University of Singapore and Case Western Reserve University.

Alex Capri

Senior fellow, NUS Business School

Alex Capri

Senior fellow, NUS Business School

Senior Fellow and Lecturer in the Business School at the National University of Singapore and Lecturer in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
From 2007‐2012, Alex was the Partner and Regional Leader of KPMG’s International Trade & Customs practice in Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong.
Alex has over 20 years of experience in value chains, logistics and global trade management, both as an academic and a professional consultant. He has advised many of the world’s best known companies on cross‐border projects in more than 40 countries and he has worked in some of the
most challenging regulatory environments throughout the world.
Alex has been living and working in Asia for 15 years. His areas of expertise include customs valuation, free trade agreements, free trade zones, VAT/GST, export controls,sanctions, non‐tariff barriers, digital trade and more. He has also worked on projects involving good governance and sustainable trade.

He has been a thought‐leader for the World Economic Forum on the topics of inclusive capitalism, digital transformation and SMEs in emerging economies. Alex writes for a variety of publications including Forbes Asia and The Nikkei Asian Review and is a frequent guest on global television and radio networks, including BBC International, Bloomberg, CNBC and Channel News Asia. He holds a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, in International Political Economy. He holds a B.Sc. in International Relations, from the University of Southern California.

Bryan Mercurio

Bryan Mercurio is Chair Professor, Associate Dean (Research) and Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Specializing in international economic law, Professor Mercurio’s work focuses on WTO law, the intersection between trade law and intellectual property rights, free trade agreements and international investment law. Professor Mercurio has published 12 books and over 80 journal articles, including co-authoring of one of the most widely used case books on WTO law (Hart Publishing, 2018, 3rd ed) and the leading collection on bilateral and regional trade agreements (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2016). Professor Mercurio has worked in government and practiced international trade, intellectual property and commercial law in the United States and Australia. He remains a frequent consultant and advisor to governments, industry associations and law firms on a wide range of trade and investment matters.

Deborah Elms

Executive director, Asian Trade Centre

Deborah Elms

Executive director, Asian Trade Centre

Deborah Elms is the executive director of the Asian Trade Centre in Singapore. She is also a senior fellow of the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Trade Academy. Her present research involves the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, ASEAN Economic Community negotiations and global value chains.

Previously, Ms Elms was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations and a senior fellow in international political economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University. She has also been a consultant on a range of trade issues to governments including those of Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. She publishes the Asian Trade Centre’s Talking Trade blog.

Edimon Ginting

Dr. Edimon Ginting is deputy director general of Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Before this role, Dr. Ginting was director of the Economic Analysis and Operational Support Division where supervised the review of economic viability of all ADB projects and leads the preparation of country diagnostic studies for ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs). He joined ADB in 2007 and subsequently led several large and strategic ADB operations to support economic reforms, including loans to support the DMCs’ response to the global financial crisis. Before joining ADB, he was an economist at the International Monetary Fund; advisor to the Indonesian Parliament; research economist at the Productivity Commission, Australia; researcher and lecturer at the University of Indonesia; postdoctoral fellow at Monash University; and research economist at Gadjah Mada University. He received his PhD in economics from Monash University.

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George Lau

Vice president, European Chamber of Commerce in China

George Lau

Vice president, European Chamber of Commerce in China

George Lau, General Manager of TÜV Rheinland Greater China Products Accreditation and Certification at TÜV Rheinland, where he has worked for 10 years. He is the vice-president of European Chamber of Commerce in China.

Previously, Lau worked as an analyst for ZTE Corporation. As a result of his performance regarding African market development – fulfilling Chinese central government’s mission – he was promoted directly to Assistant to the CEO.

Since 2004, Lau has been studying the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese-foreign cultural differences, socialism with Chinese characteristics etc., to explore strategies of foreign companies in China. He believes that such knowledge is indispensable for multinationals developing in China.

Guy Platten

Secretary general, The International Chamber of Shipping

Guy Platten

Secretary general, The International Chamber of Shipping

Guy Platten is a qualified master mariner with a long background in the marine industry both at sea and ashore.

He was appointed Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in August 2018. The ICS membership comprises national shipowners' associations in Asia, Europe and the Americas whose member shipping companies operate over 80% of the world's merchant tonnage. The ICS represents and promotes the views and interests of its membership at a variety of fora including the International Maritime Organisation, International Labor Organisation, and many others.

Before moving to the ICS Guy was Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping where he led the team to a number of successes including an increase in membership, elimination of annual deficits, raising the profile of the industry to a variety of stakeholders including media and a number of significant policy achievements,

Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) Ltd. establishing CMAL and building it into a respected company delivering vital transport infrastructure to the West Coast of Scotland. He oversaw construction and delivery of two innovative hybrid ferries as part of a fleet renewal programme along with a number of significant harbor developments.

Before CMAL, Guy was Director of Marine Operations for the Northern Lighthouse Board and was responsible for the NLB fleet, Oban port facility, 24-hour monitor center and providing navigational advice regarding the provision of Aids to Navigation around the coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man. He served on the Aids to Navigation Management Committee of IALA.

His career at sea began in 1982 with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service. He joined the RNLI in 1993 as an Inspector of Lifeboats, latterly as Inspector for Scotland training and overseeing lifeboat crews around the coast and following this he served with the MOD as a Salvage Officer and led or contributed to a number of projects including the removal of oil from a sunken World War 2 battleship, recovery of ditched aircraft and the refloating of a grounded warship.

Goldy Hyder

President and chief executive, Business Council of Canada

Goldy Hyder

President and chief executive, Business Council of Canada

Goldy Hyder was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada, effective October 15, 2018. Founded in 1976, the Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of the chief executives and entrepreneurs of 150 leading Canadian companies, representing every major industry and every region of the country.

From July 2014 to October 2018, Mr. Hyder was President & CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, providing strategic communications counsel to the firm’s extensive and diverse client base. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton in 2001, he served as director of policy and chief of staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and former leader of the then federal Progressive Conservative Party.

In addition to his achievements in business and public policy, Mr. Hyder has an extensive record of service on behalf of the charitable and non-profit sectors, including as chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and as an Executive Committee member of Century Initiative. He is a past co-chair of the United Way of Ottawa Campaign Cabinet and a former member of the Board of Governors at Carleton University.

Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and public policy. From 2011 to 2018 he appeared weekly as a panelist on CBC Television’s On the Money. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 in recognition of his contributions to Canada. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Calgary in public policy, with a specialization in policy-making during times of crisis.

Huiyao Wang

Founder and president, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Huiyao Wang

Founder and president, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Dr. Huiyao (Henry) WANG is the Founder and President of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), the leading Chinese think tank that ranked among the top 100 think tanks in the word and No. 1 social think thank in China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang appointed Dr. Wang as a Counselor of China State Council, China’s cabinet. Dr.Wang is also Vice Chairman of China Association for International Economic Cooperation Association of the Ministry of Commerce and Chairman of China global Talent Society under Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. In addition, he is the Dean of Institute of Development Studies of China Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. He is also a Vice Chairman of China Western (Overseas) Returned Scholars Association.

Dr. Wang is a steering committee member of Paris Peace Forum initiated by French President Macron. He also sits on the Migration Advisory Board of International Organization of Migration (IOM) of United Nation. He is also a member of Yale University Asia Development Advisory Council and a member of Duke Kunshan University Advisory Council. In addition, he is a Steering Committee Member of Global Competent Council of Tsinghua University and also a steering committee member of Metropolis International Network. He is a also a Policy Fellow of IZA.

Dr. Wang served as an official with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade in charge of Chinese companies going global. He had also worked as Managing Director for Asia at SNC-Lavalin in Montreal and also served as Chief Trade Representative of Canada Quebec Government office in Hong Kong and greater China.

Dr. Wang pursued his PhD studies in International business and global management at University of Western Ontario and University of Manchester. He was a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and a Visiting Fellow at Brookings Institution as well as a Senior Fellow at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He has taught at Peking University,Tsinghua University and University of Western Ontario as adjunct professor. He has published over 70 books and more than 100 articles and papers in both Chinese and English on global trade, global governance, global migration, China outbound and inbound investment, Chinese Diasporas and Chinese think tanks.

Jeongmin Seong

Senior fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Jeongmin Seong

Senior fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Jeongmin Seong is Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company’s business and economics research arm. He leads MGI research teams in China, working on global as well as emerging market-focused themes.

Jeongmin’s recent research has focused on globalization, technology, innovation and economic development. He has co-authored several MGI reports and discussion papers, including China and the World: Inside a changing economic relationship; Globalization in transition: The future of global trade and value chains; Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them; China’s choice: Capturing the $5 trillion productivity opportunity; China’s digital economy: Powering the economy to global competitiveness; The China Effect on Global Innovation; China’s digital transformation; China’s role in the next phase of globalization; Artificial Intelligence: Implication for China; Notes from the AI frontier: Modeling the impact of AI on the world economy.

Prior to joining MGI, Jeongmin worked with companies around the world focusing on consumer facing industries including consumer electronics, retail, and automotive. Jeongmin also led McKinsey’s emerging market growth service line. Prior to joining McKinsey Shanghai office, Jeongmin worked as a product marketing manager at Dell.

Jeongmin is a graduate of Harvard Business School where he received his MBA degree.

Kunio Mikuriya

Secretary general, World Customs Organization

Kunio Mikuriya

Secretary general, World Customs Organization

Mr. Kunio Mikuriya has been Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 1 January 2009. He provides leadership and executive management for the global Customs community’s priorities, including developing global Customs instruments, standards, and tools; securing and facilitating global trade; realizing revenues; building Customs business partnerships; and delivering capacity building in support of Customs reform and modernization. Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan's Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Mr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations. Mr. Mikuriya has a degree in law from the University of Tokyo and a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent.

Masahiro Kawai

Dr. Masahiro KAWAI Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo and Representative Director and Director General, Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia (ERINA)

Dr. Kawai holds a BA in economics from the University of Tokyo and an MS in statistics and a PhD in economics from Stanford University.

Dr. Kawai began his professional career as a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He then taught as an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Economy of The Johns Hopkins University, and as a Professor of Economics at the Institute of Social Science of the University of Tokyo.
He also served as: Chief Economist for the World Bank’s East Asia and the Pacific Region; Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs of Japan’s Ministry of Finance; President of the Policy Research Institute of Japan’s Finance Ministry; Special Advisor to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President in charge of regional economic cooperation and integration; and Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).
Dr. Kawai assumed his current position at the University of Tokyo in April 2014 and at ERINA in April 2016.

In addition, Dr. Kawai is also a Councilor of the Bank of Japan, a Senior Fellow at the Policy Research Institute of Japan’s Ministry of Finance, and Vice President of the Council on East Asia Community.

Dr. Kawai’s recent publications focus on Asian economic integration. He has published a number of books and more than 160 academic articles on open-economy macroeconomic issues, regional economic integration and cooperation, and the international economic system.

Masamichi Kono

Deputy secretary-general, OECD

Masamichi Kono

Deputy secretary-general, OECD

Mr. Masamichi Kono was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD in August 2017. His portfolio includes the strategic direction of OECD policy on Environment, Development, Green Growth, Financial and Enterprise Affairs and Anti-Corruption along with representing the OECD at the Financial Stability Board meetings. Prior to joining the OECD, Mr. Kono was the Vice Minister for International Affairs, Financial Services Agency, Japan (JFSA) and President of the Asian Financial Partnership Center of the JFSA. Mr. Kono was Secretary to the WTO Financial Services Committee between 1994 and 1999. Mr. Kono holds a B.A. in law from Tokyo University.

Sanne Manders

Chief operating officer, Flexport

Sanne Manders

Chief operating officer, Flexport

Sanne Manders is the COO of Flexport. As COO, he’s responsible for sales, customer service, operations, procurement, and carrier relations across all modes of transportation. Before Flexport, he was at BCG, a global management consultancy, leading customer relations in its logistics and supply chain practice. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University.

Patricia Scotland QC

Secretary general, The Commonwealth

Patricia Scotland QC

Secretary general, The Commonwealth

The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC took office as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in April 2016. The Commonwealth is a family of 53 independent sovereign states, and home to 2.4 billion people. Building on the Commonwealth Advantage of shared inheritances, and similarities of law and administration, its members are committed to creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for all.

The people and institutions of the Commonwealth work together through a broad range of intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations committed to the shared values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter that cherish equality of opportunity and celebrate diversity.

In a career of firsts, Patricia Scotland is the first woman to hold the post of Secretary-General. Born in Dominica, she moved to the UK at an early age and was brought up in a large close-knit Caribbean family where she was taught the importance of hard work, education, pride in her heritage and the obligation to give back to the region of her birth and to the society in which she was raised. This ethos has guided her throughout her dynamic career in law, politics and public service.

A lawyer by profession, she became the first black and youngest woman ever to be appointed Queen's Counsel. She is the only woman since the post was created in 1315 to be Attorney General for England and Wales.

Appointed to the House of Lords as Baroness Scotland of Asthal, she is Alderman for Bishopsgate Ward in the City of London and Chancellor of the University of Greenwich.

Robert Koopman

Chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division, World Trade Organization

Robert Koopman

Chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division, World Trade Organization

Robert Koopman serves as the chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division at the World Trade Organisation. In this post Mr Koopman provides the secretariat and member countries with analysis and information that promote a deeper understanding of trade and trade policy's role in economic growth and development. Previously he served as the director of operations and chief operating officer for the United States International Trade Commission. Mr Koopman oversaw the commission’s trade-policy research and negotiation assistance to the president, the US Trade Representative and Congress, as well as its other statutory responsibilities. He is also currently a visiting professor of economics at the Graduate Institute Geneva and was previously an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Stephen Olson

Research fellow, Hinrich Foundation

Stephen Olson

Research fellow, Hinrich Foundation

Stephen Olson is a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation. He began his career in Washington DC as an international trade negotiator, and served on the US negotiating team for the NAFTA negotiations. He subsequently became president of the Hong Kong-based Pacific Basin Economic Council, and vice-chairman of Cairo-based ARTOC Group for investment and development. He is also a visiting scholar at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Over the course of his 30-year international career, Mr Olson has lived and worked in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, holding senior executive positions in the private sector, international organizations, government, and academia.

He has a master degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and holds a B.A. from the State University of New York.

Ms. Peng currently serves as Co-Chair of Apparel & Footwear Committee of AmCham Hong Kong and is a Senior Advisor to Hong Kong General Chamber of Textile Limited. She is fluent in English and Mandarin. Ms. Peng holds a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College Of Law, a Diploma from Peking University Law School in Beijing, and a B.A. from Chengchi University College of Law.

Steve Leonard

Chief executive, SGInnovate

Steve Leonard

Chief executive, SGInnovate

Steve Leonard is a technology-industry leader with a wide range of experience, having played key roles in building several global companies in areas such as software, hardware and services. In his current role as the founding chief executive of SGInnovate—a private limited company wholly owned by the Singapore government—he leads an organisation that builds “deep-tech” companies. Capitalising on the science and technology research for which Singapore has gained a global reputation, Mr Leonard’s team works with local and international partners, including universities, venture capitalists and major corporations, to help technical founders imagine, start and scale globally relevant early-stage technology companies from Singapore.

Mr Leonard previously served three years as the executive deputy chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority, a government statutory board under the purview of Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information. In that role, he had executive responsibility at the national level for various aspects of the information technology and telecommunications industries.

Stuart Tait

Chief executive, commercial banking, Asia-Pacific, HSBC

Stuart Tait

Chief executive, commercial banking, Asia-Pacific, HSBC

Stuart Tait was appointed HSBC’s regional head of commercial banking for the Asia-Pacific in 2016. He has been a group general manager at HSBC since 2013, and is responsible for HSBC’s relationships with large-corporate, medium and small-business clients in the region.

He was previously the global head of trade and receivables finance, which provides financing and risk-mitigation solutions to meet clients’ international and domestic needs.

Before taking on the leadership of global trade and receivables finance, he was head of human resources for global banking and markets, global private banking and international management.

Mr Tait joined HSBC in 1984 and has held various positions in commercial banking, global banking and markets, retail banking, wealth management, risk and human resources. His previous assignments with HSBC have been based in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Tim Smith

Chief executive, Asia, APM Terminals

Tim Smith

Chief executive, Asia, APM Terminals

Tim Smith graduated in 1985 from the University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) 1 st class in Geography. He has worked in the container shipping industry for over 30 years, for much of that time in Asia, including 18 years living in Hong Kong. Initially with P&amp; Containers and then P&amp; Nedlloyd, Tim has been with the Maersk Group since their acquisition of P&amp; Nedlloyd in 2005.

From 2008-2015, Tim held the role of Chief Executive of the North Asia Region, for Maersk Line. Tim was responsible for all aspects of Maersk Line’s business in Japan, Korea, China/HK and Taiwan, which together contribute more than 35% of the global Maersk Line throughput, and a turnover in excess of US$10bn. The country and functional managers reporting to Tim were responsible for sales and marketing, operations, customer service, finance, HR, IT and administration. In July 2015, Tim relocated to Beijing, China and assumed a new role as Chairman of Maersk China and Chief Maersk Group Representative for North Asia. Reporting to Maersk Group Chief Executive Soren Skou, in this role, Tim was responsible to maximize the Group’s commercial opportunities across all its various business units in the Asia region, as well as for risk management and compliance, and leadership development.

From March 2018, Tim has returned to Hong Kong and taken on the role as Chief Executive, Asia Region for APM Terminals. APM Terminals is the port and terminals division of the Maersk Group. In this role, Tim is responsible for the profit and loss of APMT’s 14 terminals in the Asia region, as well as for sales/marketing of APMT’s global network of terminals to Asian customers.

Tim Summers

Senior consulting fellow, Chatham House

Tim Summers

Senior consulting fellow, Chatham House

Dr. Tim Summers researches the international relations and political economy of contemporary China. He is a Lecturer at the Centre for China Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Senior Consulting Fellow on the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House. Recent publications including a book, China’s Regions in an Era of Globalization (Routledge, 2018) and research papers on the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s maritime disputes, Europe-China relations and Hong Kong. Tim was previously a British diplomat, including a posting as Consul-General in Chongqing, southwest China, from 2004 to 2007.

Victor Fung

Group chairman, Fung Group

Victor Fung

Group chairman, Fung Group

Dr. Victor K. Fung is an international business leader, thought leader and philanthropist, who holds professional and civic appointments in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas. He is Group Chairman of the Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based multinational which comprises major subsidiaries in trading, logistics, distribution and retailing. They include publicly-listed Li & Fung Limited, Global Brands Group Holding Limited, Convenience Retail Asia Limited and other privately held entities.

Dr. Fung played a leading role in driving the development of the supply chain infrastructure at Li & Fung Limited, which has enabled it to become the leading consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and logistics company for major retailers and brands around the world. Dr. Fung holds independent non-executive Directorships with Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (Hong Kong) and Koc Holding A.S. (Turkey).

He is also Chairman of the Asia Advisory Board of Prudential Financial, Inc (USA). Dr. Fung is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, a multi-disciplinary think-tank co-established with the Fung Global Institute to assume and carry forward the Fung Global Institute’s mission to generate and disseminate research and ideas on global issues from Asian perspectives. Also in Hong Kong, Dr. Fung is a Non-official Member of Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development, also an Adviser of the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He is a former Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (1991-2000), a Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council (1996-2003), Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (1999-2008), Chairman of the Council of The University of Hong Kong (2001-2009), Chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council (2004-2013) and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme from 2014 to August 2018. On the Chinese Mainland, he is a member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing, member of the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, an Honorary Trustee of Peking University and an Honorary Professor of Renmin University. He was a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 2003 to February 2018, Vice-Chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges (2009-2014).

Internationally, Dr. Fung played a leadership role from 2007 in the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce, of which he was Chairman from 2008 to 2010. From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of the World Trade Organisation's Panel On Defining The Future of Trade. Dr. Fung was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993 in recognition for his commitment to public service. In 1995, he was voted Businessman of the Year under the Hong Kong Business Awards Scheme for his success as an entrepreneur and for his contribution to Hong Kong's economic development. He also was chosen Hong Kong Leader of the Year in 1998 and was named by BusinessWeek as one of the 50 Asian leaders leading the region out of its economic crisis.

In 2001, he was awarded the Harvard Medal for outstanding service to Harvard University. In 2003, the Hong Kong Government awarded Dr. Fung the Gold Bauhinia Star and, in 2010, the Grand Bauhinia Medal for his distinguished service to the Hong Kong community. In 2011, he was awarded the MIT Sloan Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership. The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University have each conferred upon Dr. Fung an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws. Hong Kong Baptist University, the Open University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have each conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Business Administration. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr. Fung holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After gaining his Doctorate in Business Economics from Harvard University, he taught as a professor at Harvard Business School before returning to the family business in Hong Kong in 1976.

Vivek Pathak

Regional director, East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation

Vivek Pathak

Regional director, East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation

Vivek Pathak was appointed IFC’s Rregional Ddirector for East Asia and the Pacific in October 2014. He has extensive emerging- markets experience in principal investments, restructuring and risk management across all industry sectors. Over the past 16 years at IFC, he has covered Asia -Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia in various leadership capacities. In his current role, based in Hong Kong, Mr Pathak leads IFC’s advisory and investment operations (which in fiscal year 2014 reached a record $4.2bn investment volume) across East Asia and the Pacific, which in fiscal year 2014 reached a record $4.2 billion investment volume.

Previously, he served as IFC’s dDirector for Iinvestment and Ccredit Rrisk. bBased in Washington, DC, he manageding a team of seasoned professionals responsible for global coverage of credit risk, investment risk, integrity risk, pricing and credit/equity training. Prior to that, he oversaw IFC’s portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa, and led IFC’s business- development efforts in frontier markets like such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

Before joining IFC, Mr Pathak worked with Bank of America and ABN AMRO Bank in new business and risk management. In his capacity as Hhead of Rrisk mManagement at ABN AMRO Bank Thailand, he was responsible for managing a large and diverse portfolio during the Asian Ffinancial Ccrisis. Mr Pathak holds a Mmaster’s degree in Mmanagement from the University of Mumbai, India.

Walden Bello

Professor of sociology, State University of New York

Walden Bello

Professor of sociology, State University of New York

Walden Bello is currently a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2009 to 2015, during which he was chairman of the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs.
His resignation from the House in 2015 in protest at the policies of the Aquino administration is the only instance of a resignation on principle in the history of the Congress of the Philippines. His book Deglobalisation: Ideas for a New World Economy (London: Zed, 2002) is widely credited as being the first to propose deglobalisation as a development strategy. He is the author or co-author of 22 other books, including Paper Dragons: China and the Next Crash (London: Zed, 2019), Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far Right (Nova Scotia: Fernwood 2019), Capitalism’s Last Stand? (London: Zed, 2013), Food Wars (London: Verso, 2009), Dragons in Distress: Asia’s Miracle Economies in Crisis (London: Penguin, 1990), and Development Debacle: the World Bank in the Philippines (San Francisco: Institute for Food and Development Policy, 1982).
Bello got his BA from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1966 and his PhD in sociology from Princeton University in 1975.
He received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize) in Stockholm in 2003 for his work showing the negative impact of corporate-driven globalisation. He was also named Outstanding Public Scholar by the International Studies Association in San Francisco in 2008. He has honorary doctorates from Panteion University in Athens (2006) and Murdoch University in Perth (2012).

Wilkie Wong

Managing director, Esquel Group

Wilkie Wong

Managing director, Esquel Group

Wilkie Wong is the Managing Director of Finance and Production Planning of the Esquel Group. Established in 1978, Esquel has grown to become vertically integrated, with operations spanning cotton farming, yarn spinning, fabric, apparel and accessories production, research and development as well as design and merchandising services, producing over 100 million shirts annually and providing one-stop cotton shirt solution to leading apparel brands and retailers.

Wilkie oversees the accounting, planning and treasury functions, providing strategic advisory and business partnership to top management and business unit leaders in the Group. In addition, he is also responsible for the production planning and control functions, aligning the Group’s sales demand and production capacity. Since joining Esquel in 2004, Wilkie has led the General Management Office, Corporate Communications, Information Technology, Logistics as well as Global Sourcing.

Before joining Esquel, Wilkie was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising senior executives in leading companies in Greater China, with a focus on the consumer goods and retail sector. Wilkie has extensive consulting experience in strategy and business development, M&A advisory, organizational restructuring and operational improvements.

Wilkie received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and his Masters of Science degree in Operations Research from Columbia University in New York. He also earned his Masters in Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr is the Economics editor for The Economist. He joined the newspaper in 2014 as Britain Economics correspondent before moving to Washington, DC to cover the American economy. In 2018 Henry became the youngest Economics Editor in the newspaper’s history. Before journalism Henry worked as a professional economist for a consulting firm. He has frequently appeared on broadcast media including BBC News, NPR and CNN International. Henry has an M.Phil. in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford and a B.A. in PPE from Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was the John Hicks Foundation prize winner.

Christopher Clague

Chris Clague is managing editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in Asia. He is an expert in international trade and trade policy and has also advised clients throughout the Asian region on the strategic implications of megatrends and political risk. He was a consultant in The EIU’s Tokyo office and was the project leader and editor for the EIU/Nikkei BP publication The World to 2050 (available in Japanese only).

Prior to joining The EIU, he was a senior consultant and Director of China Operations for a boutique consulting firm that worked with governments and MNCs on issues related to international trade, investment, and commodities.

Chris holds an MSc in Asian Politics from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a certificate in International Trade Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute’s summer academy. He provides regular commentary on trade and the Japanese economy to international media.

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

Duncan Innes-Ker

Regional director, Asia, Economist Intelligence Unit

Duncan Innes-Ker

Regional director, Asia, Economist Intelligence Unit

Duncan Innes-Ker heads a team of analysts covering Asia, in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Analysis division. He is personally responsible for compiling economic and political forecasts for a number of countries in the region, most notably China. Mr Innes-Ker has helped to produce customised research and analysis on many topics, ranging from a long-term forecast of the outlook for Asia to 2050 to the impact of China's leadership changes in 2017.

Mr Innes-Ker is a frequent commentator for news services such as the BBC and CNN. He often presents at conferences and has also been invited to share his perspectives on Asia with a number of senior corporate executives, academics and diplomatic officials.

Mr Innes-Ker joined The EIU in 2005. He has a master's degree in Pacific Asian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a BA in Chinese studies from Oxford University.

Agenda

Registration and refreshments

8:00 AM

Breakfast briefing: China and the world: A changing economic relationship

China has changed and changed the world. Economic reforms have created opportunities in China and the rest of the world. But with protectionism and trade tensions on the rise, has the relationship between China and the world reached a turning point? Could China's globalization have peaked? What are the opportunities for mutual collaboration? How should companies in China and around the world adapt their strategies in a new era of potentially mutual global disengagement?This breakfast briefing is sponsored by McKinsey Global Institute and is open to all delegates of The Asia Trade Summit 2019.

Alex Capri

Senior fellow, NUS Business School

Alex Capri

Senior fellow, NUS Business School

Senior Fellow and Lecturer in the Business School at the National University of Singapore and Lecturer in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
From 2007‐2012, Alex was the Partner and Regional Leader of KPMG’s International Trade & Customs practice in Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong.
Alex has over 20 years of experience in value chains, logistics and global trade management, both as an academic and a professional consultant. He has advised many of the world’s best known companies on cross‐border projects in more than 40 countries and he has worked in some of the
most challenging regulatory environments throughout the world.
Alex has been living and working in Asia for 15 years. His areas of expertise include customs valuation, free trade agreements, free trade zones, VAT/GST, export controls,sanctions, non‐tariff barriers, digital trade and more. He has also worked on projects involving good governance and sustainable trade.

He has been a thought‐leader for the World Economic Forum on the topics of inclusive capitalism, digital transformation and SMEs in emerging economies. Alex writes for a variety of publications including Forbes Asia and The Nikkei Asian Review and is a frequent guest on global television and radio networks, including BBC International, Bloomberg, CNBC and Channel News Asia. He holds a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, in International Political Economy. He holds a B.Sc. in International Relations, from the University of Southern California.

Jeongmin Seong

Senior fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Jeongmin Seong

Senior fellow, McKinsey Global Institute

Jeongmin Seong is Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company’s business and economics research arm. He leads MGI research teams in China, working on global as well as emerging market-focused themes.

Jeongmin’s recent research has focused on globalization, technology, innovation and economic development. He has co-authored several MGI reports and discussion papers, including China and the World: Inside a changing economic relationship; Globalization in transition: The future of global trade and value chains; Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them; China’s choice: Capturing the $5 trillion productivity opportunity; China’s digital economy: Powering the economy to global competitiveness; The China Effect on Global Innovation; China’s digital transformation; China’s role in the next phase of globalization; Artificial Intelligence: Implication for China; Notes from the AI frontier: Modeling the impact of AI on the world economy.

Prior to joining MGI, Jeongmin worked with companies around the world focusing on consumer facing industries including consumer electronics, retail, and automotive. Jeongmin also led McKinsey’s emerging market growth service line. Prior to joining McKinsey Shanghai office, Jeongmin worked as a product marketing manager at Dell.

Jeongmin is a graduate of Harvard Business School where he received his MBA degree.

Tim Summers

Senior consulting fellow, Chatham House

Tim Summers

Senior consulting fellow, Chatham House

Dr. Tim Summers researches the international relations and political economy of contemporary China. He is a Lecturer at the Centre for China Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Senior Consulting Fellow on the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House. Recent publications including a book, China’s Regions in an Era of Globalization (Routledge, 2018) and research papers on the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s maritime disputes, Europe-China relations and Hong Kong. Tim was previously a British diplomat, including a posting as Consul-General in Chongqing, southwest China, from 2004 to 2007.

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

9:00 AM

Chair's opening remarks

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr is the Economics editor for The Economist. He joined the newspaper in 2014 as Britain Economics correspondent before moving to Washington, DC to cover the American economy. In 2018 Henry became the youngest Economics Editor in the newspaper’s history. Before journalism Henry worked as a professional economist for a consulting firm. He has frequently appeared on broadcast media including BBC News, NPR and CNN International. Henry has an M.Phil. in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford and a B.A. in PPE from Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was the John Hicks Foundation prize winner.

9:10 AM

Opening keynote address

Bernard Chan Pak-li

Under secretary for commerce and economic development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Bernard Chan Pak-li

Under secretary for commerce and economic development, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Dr. Bernard Chan Pak-li was Political Assistant to the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development from March 2013 to June 2017.

Before joining the Government, Dr. Chan spent about 10 years working in the technology sector, gaining experience in intellectual property trading and crossover collaboration. From 2008 to 2013, Dr. Chan served as a member of the Kwun Tong District Council.

Dr. Chan holds a bachelor degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University, USA.

9:25 AM

Negotiator panel

In this opening session trade negotiators from around the world will share their insight on the process of crafting bilateral and regional trade agreements in Asia, discuss the challenges involved, and the ways domestic and international politics can prevent progress.

Mohamed Saeed

Former minister of economic development, Maldives

Mohamed Saeed

Former minister of economic development, Maldives

Mohamed Saeed is the Minister of Economic Development of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. He served as a board member at Maldives Monetary Authority (Central Bank), Economic & Youth Council of the government and chaired the board of Investment of the Special Economic Zone. He played a crucial role introducing the Special Economic Zone Act as a means to diversify the country’s tourism-dependent economy.

Mr. Saeed is the Chief Negotiator of the country’s first bilateral Free Trade Agreement with China. He also concluded the Hongkong China Free Trade Agreement in 2017.

Mr. Saeed played a crucial role attracting investment finance and infrastructure development under President Yameen’s administration under which the country’s GDP per capita increased from US$4000 to nearly US$11000 in a span of 5 years. He looked after trade, transport and labor in crafting policies during the period 2013-2018.

Prior to his appointment to the cabinet in 2013, he held various key positions in the Tourism Industry.

He is a leading tourism policy expert with over 20 years of experience in the Industry.

Mr.Saeed is a graduate from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and International School of Tourism Science, Rome, where he specialized in the area of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Mr.Saeed is an advocate of modern financial and economic policies with a focus on economic diversification. He applies economics statecraft as a useful means of promoting economic welfare in the country.

Helena König

Deputy director general, European Commission

Helena König

Deputy director general, European Commission

Helena König works in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade where she is currently the Deputy Director General responsible for Bilateral Relations with Asia, Africa and Latin America, trade in services, investment, intellectual property, public procurement, agriculture and SPS, and trade and sustainable development.

From June 2015 to May 2018, Ms König was the Director responsible for trade relations with Asia and Latin America, where she was notably in charge of a number of free trade agreements in the two regions.

From January 2012 to June 2015, she was the Head of Unit in the Unit responsible for trade relations with South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The unit was also in charge of the negotiations of FTAs with India and member countries of ASEAN. From June 2007 to the end of 2011, Ms König worked as Head of Unit for trade relations with the Far East in the Directorate General for Trade.

Ms König has worked on EU-Asia relations since 1997. Before joining DG Trade she was the Deputy Head of Unit of the Southeast Asia Unit in the Directorate General for External Relations. In this capacity, she has worked on the political aspects of EU relations with the ASEAN countries and has also been in charge of bilateral relations with several of the ASEAN countries.

Between 1992 and 1995, Ms König worked as a "Liaison Officer" for EU Affairs for the Moderate Party of Sweden and was also active in the "Yes to Europe" campaign preparing for Swedish membership of the EU. Following the Swedish decision (by referendum) to join the EU, she started working as an administrator in the European Peoples' Party in the European Parliament before joining the Commission in 1997.

Prior to that, she also worked for three years in the private sector (clothing and apparel).

Ms. König has a degree in Business Administration and Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.

Ong Kian Ming

Deputy minister, Trade and Industry, Malaysia

Ong Kian Ming

Deputy minister, Trade and Industry, Malaysia

He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry (MITI) in July 2018.

Ong Kian Ming obtained his PhD in political science from Duke University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Bangi, representing the Democratic Action Party (DAP) which is part of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government coalition. He is a 2nd term Member of Parliament.

He was the Head of the Penang Institute office in Kuala Lumpur from 2014 to 2018.

Prior to being elected into public office, he was a lecturer and policy analyst at UCSI University, a private university in Kuala Lumpur. He was also the director of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP). Prior to his PhD, he worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the KL office and as a policy analyst with two think thanks, the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP) and the Socio-Economic Development and Research (SEDAR) Institute.

He holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge. He completed his O levels and A levels in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College in Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship. He studied in La Salle Petaling Jaya (Primary and Secondary) until Form 3.

Atsuyuki OIKE

Deputy chief negotiator, Japan

Atsuyuki OIKE

Deputy chief negotiator, Japan

Mr. OIKE is the deputy chief negotiator of TPP for Japan.

In 2010 he became the economic minister for The Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and Other International Organization in Geneva. In 2012 he was appointed the economic minister in Embassy of Japan in China. In 2014 he was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Director-General for Global Issues and Chief Negotiator for Climate change (Paris agreement). In 2016 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in the United States. In 2017 he was appointed in his current role of Deputy Chief Negotiator(Ambassador), TPP Headquarters, Cabinet Secretariat.

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

10:05 AM

Ministerial keynote

Ramon M. Lopez

Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines

Ramon M. Lopez

Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines

Ramon M. Lopez is the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). His extensive government experience with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), DTI, and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the early part of his career provided him with a solid background on macroeconomic and industry policy and program development that allowed him to adopt a more holistic trade approach when he moved to the private sector and became a top executive of a major Philippine food and beverage company for over 23 years. He led the entrepreneur advocacy Go Negosyo for 12 years until he was called to serve the country again under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration as the DTI Secretary. He chairs several institutions under DTI such as the Board of Investments (BOI), the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), and several councils for MSME Development, Export Development, and Price Coordination. He also chaired the ASEAN Economic Ministers when the Philippines assumed Chairmanship in 2017, and is a founding member of the World Economic Forum-ASEAN Regional Strategy Group and Stewardship Board for International Trade and Investment System. He has received several awards such as: the Honorary Agora in Nation Building Award; the Nation Builders Award for Government Service for his role as prime mover in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development; and the Philippine Innovation Man of the Year Award in 2017 for the promotion of social entrepreneurship through innovation. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines and topped his Master’s Degree in Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts.

10:20 AM

Networking coffee break

10:45 AM

A world without the WTO

Although it has been two decades since a new global trade agreement has been reached under its auspices, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) still retains a vital role in settling trade disputes. Yet in the current global trade environment that role is increasingly at risk. With more countries bringing trade disputes than ever before, the body could become overburdened, if it isn’t already. In addition, the emerging trade wars may result in one of the organisation’s larger members ignoring a WTO decision, opening the door for others to do the same. In this session, panellists will discuss the scenarios that could lead to the WTO’s demise and what a post-WTO world would look like for policymakers and the private sector.

Yi Xiaozhun

Deputy director-general, World Trade Organization

Yi Xiaozhun

Deputy director-general, World Trade Organization

Mr. YI Xiaozhun has been a Deputy Director-General at the World Trade Organization since October 2013.

Yi Xiaozhun has extensive experience in world trade and economics, both as a senior government official and subsequently as China's ambassador to the WTO. He represented China as a key negotiator in China’s WTO accession process, making an important contribution to the negotiations.

Prior to becoming China's ambassador to the WTO in 2011, Mr Yi was Assistant Minister and subsequently China's Vice Minister of Commerce in charge of multilateral and regional trade negotiations and cooperation. Besides his contribution to China’s WTO accession, he played a leading role in negotiating numerous free trade agreements (FTAs), including the China-ASEAN agreement, China's first FTA. He also worked as a diplomat at the Chinese Embassy in the United States for more than four years from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

Mr. Yi obtained a Master's degree in economics from Nankai University in China in 1999.

Deborah Elms

Executive director, Asian Trade Centre

Deborah Elms

Executive director, Asian Trade Centre

Deborah Elms is the executive director of the Asian Trade Centre in Singapore. She is also a senior fellow of the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Trade Academy. Her present research involves the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, ASEAN Economic Community negotiations and global value chains.

Previously, Ms Elms was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations and a senior fellow in international political economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University. She has also been a consultant on a range of trade issues to governments including those of Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. She publishes the Asian Trade Centre’s Talking Trade blog.

Bryan Mercurio

Bryan Mercurio is Chair Professor, Associate Dean (Research) and Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Specializing in international economic law, Professor Mercurio’s work focuses on WTO law, the intersection between trade law and intellectual property rights, free trade agreements and international investment law. Professor Mercurio has published 12 books and over 80 journal articles, including co-authoring of one of the most widely used case books on WTO law (Hart Publishing, 2018, 3rd ed) and the leading collection on bilateral and regional trade agreements (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed, 2016). Professor Mercurio has worked in government and practiced international trade, intellectual property and commercial law in the United States and Australia. He remains a frequent consultant and advisor to governments, industry associations and law firms on a wide range of trade and investment matters.

Stephen Olson

Research fellow, Hinrich Foundation

Stephen Olson

Research fellow, Hinrich Foundation

Stephen Olson is a research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation. He began his career in Washington DC as an international trade negotiator, and served on the US negotiating team for the NAFTA negotiations. He subsequently became president of the Hong Kong-based Pacific Basin Economic Council, and vice-chairman of Cairo-based ARTOC Group for investment and development. He is also a visiting scholar at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Over the course of his 30-year international career, Mr Olson has lived and worked in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, holding senior executive positions in the private sector, international organizations, government, and academia.

He has a master degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and holds a B.A. from the State University of New York.

Christopher Clague

Chris Clague is managing editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in Asia. He is an expert in international trade and trade policy and has also advised clients throughout the Asian region on the strategic implications of megatrends and political risk. He was a consultant in The EIU’s Tokyo office and was the project leader and editor for the EIU/Nikkei BP publication The World to 2050 (available in Japanese only).

Prior to joining The EIU, he was a senior consultant and Director of China Operations for a boutique consulting firm that worked with governments and MNCs on issues related to international trade, investment, and commodities.

Chris holds an MSc in Asian Politics from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a certificate in International Trade Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute’s summer academy. He provides regular commentary on trade and the Japanese economy to international media.

11:20 AM

Global business in an anti-global world

Globalisation has brought benefits to many in the form of economic growth, jobs and greater access to high-quality goods and services. Today, because of nationalist sentiment rising in the West, this progress is under threat. As governments have implemented protectionist measures, global companies face new challenges to cross-border supply chains, the use and protection of intellectual property, such as China’s requirement of technology transfer for investment, cross-border data flows, and the exchange of ideas and people.How can global companies succeed should protectionism prevail among the world’s leading countries? How should executives restructure and adapt their operations to steer them through a time of global political and economic uncertainty? And what role can multinationals play in keeping minds and markets open?

Patricia Scotland QC

Secretary general, The Commonwealth

Patricia Scotland QC

Secretary general, The Commonwealth

The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC took office as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in April 2016. The Commonwealth is a family of 53 independent sovereign states, and home to 2.4 billion people. Building on the Commonwealth Advantage of shared inheritances, and similarities of law and administration, its members are committed to creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for all.

The people and institutions of the Commonwealth work together through a broad range of intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations committed to the shared values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter that cherish equality of opportunity and celebrate diversity.

In a career of firsts, Patricia Scotland is the first woman to hold the post of Secretary-General. Born in Dominica, she moved to the UK at an early age and was brought up in a large close-knit Caribbean family where she was taught the importance of hard work, education, pride in her heritage and the obligation to give back to the region of her birth and to the society in which she was raised. This ethos has guided her throughout her dynamic career in law, politics and public service.

A lawyer by profession, she became the first black and youngest woman ever to be appointed Queen's Counsel. She is the only woman since the post was created in 1315 to be Attorney General for England and Wales.

Appointed to the House of Lords as Baroness Scotland of Asthal, she is Alderman for Bishopsgate Ward in the City of London and Chancellor of the University of Greenwich.

Victor Fung

Group chairman, Fung Group

Victor Fung

Group chairman, Fung Group

Dr. Victor K. Fung is an international business leader, thought leader and philanthropist, who holds professional and civic appointments in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas. He is Group Chairman of the Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based multinational which comprises major subsidiaries in trading, logistics, distribution and retailing. They include publicly-listed Li & Fung Limited, Global Brands Group Holding Limited, Convenience Retail Asia Limited and other privately held entities.

Dr. Fung played a leading role in driving the development of the supply chain infrastructure at Li & Fung Limited, which has enabled it to become the leading consumer goods design, development, sourcing, and logistics company for major retailers and brands around the world. Dr. Fung holds independent non-executive Directorships with Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (Hong Kong) and Koc Holding A.S. (Turkey).

He is also Chairman of the Asia Advisory Board of Prudential Financial, Inc (USA). Dr. Fung is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, a multi-disciplinary think-tank co-established with the Fung Global Institute to assume and carry forward the Fung Global Institute’s mission to generate and disseminate research and ideas on global issues from Asian perspectives. Also in Hong Kong, Dr. Fung is a Non-official Member of Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Innovation and Strategic Development, also an Adviser of the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He is a former Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (1991-2000), a Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council (1996-2003), Chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (1999-2008), Chairman of the Council of The University of Hong Kong (2001-2009), Chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council (2004-2013) and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme from 2014 to August 2018. On the Chinese Mainland, he is a member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Beijing, member of the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, an Honorary Trustee of Peking University and an Honorary Professor of Renmin University. He was a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 2003 to February 2018, Vice-Chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges (2009-2014).

Internationally, Dr. Fung played a leadership role from 2007 in the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce, of which he was Chairman from 2008 to 2010. From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of the World Trade Organisation's Panel On Defining The Future of Trade. Dr. Fung was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1993 in recognition for his commitment to public service. In 1995, he was voted Businessman of the Year under the Hong Kong Business Awards Scheme for his success as an entrepreneur and for his contribution to Hong Kong's economic development. He also was chosen Hong Kong Leader of the Year in 1998 and was named by BusinessWeek as one of the 50 Asian leaders leading the region out of its economic crisis.

In 2001, he was awarded the Harvard Medal for outstanding service to Harvard University. In 2003, the Hong Kong Government awarded Dr. Fung the Gold Bauhinia Star and, in 2010, the Grand Bauhinia Medal for his distinguished service to the Hong Kong community. In 2011, he was awarded the MIT Sloan Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership. The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University have each conferred upon Dr. Fung an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws. Hong Kong Baptist University, the Open University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have each conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Business Administration. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr. Fung holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After gaining his Doctorate in Business Economics from Harvard University, he taught as a professor at Harvard Business School before returning to the family business in Hong Kong in 1976.

Stuart Tait

Chief executive, commercial banking, Asia-Pacific, HSBC

Stuart Tait

Chief executive, commercial banking, Asia-Pacific, HSBC

Stuart Tait was appointed HSBC’s regional head of commercial banking for the Asia-Pacific in 2016. He has been a group general manager at HSBC since 2013, and is responsible for HSBC’s relationships with large-corporate, medium and small-business clients in the region.

He was previously the global head of trade and receivables finance, which provides financing and risk-mitigation solutions to meet clients’ international and domestic needs.

Before taking on the leadership of global trade and receivables finance, he was head of human resources for global banking and markets, global private banking and international management.

Mr Tait joined HSBC in 1984 and has held various positions in commercial banking, global banking and markets, retail banking, wealth management, risk and human resources. His previous assignments with HSBC have been based in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Guy Platten

Secretary general, The International Chamber of Shipping

Guy Platten

Secretary general, The International Chamber of Shipping

Guy Platten is a qualified master mariner with a long background in the marine industry both at sea and ashore.

He was appointed Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in August 2018. The ICS membership comprises national shipowners' associations in Asia, Europe and the Americas whose member shipping companies operate over 80% of the world's merchant tonnage. The ICS represents and promotes the views and interests of its membership at a variety of fora including the International Maritime Organisation, International Labor Organisation, and many others.

Before moving to the ICS Guy was Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping where he led the team to a number of successes including an increase in membership, elimination of annual deficits, raising the profile of the industry to a variety of stakeholders including media and a number of significant policy achievements,

Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of Caledonian Maritime Assets (CMAL) Ltd. establishing CMAL and building it into a respected company delivering vital transport infrastructure to the West Coast of Scotland. He oversaw construction and delivery of two innovative hybrid ferries as part of a fleet renewal programme along with a number of significant harbor developments.

Before CMAL, Guy was Director of Marine Operations for the Northern Lighthouse Board and was responsible for the NLB fleet, Oban port facility, 24-hour monitor center and providing navigational advice regarding the provision of Aids to Navigation around the coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man. He served on the Aids to Navigation Management Committee of IALA.

His career at sea began in 1982 with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service. He joined the RNLI in 1993 as an Inspector of Lifeboats, latterly as Inspector for Scotland training and overseeing lifeboat crews around the coast and following this he served with the MOD as a Salvage Officer and led or contributed to a number of projects including the removal of oil from a sunken World War 2 battleship, recovery of ditched aircraft and the refloating of a grounded warship.

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr is the Economics editor for The Economist. He joined the newspaper in 2014 as Britain Economics correspondent before moving to Washington, DC to cover the American economy. In 2018 Henry became the youngest Economics Editor in the newspaper’s history. Before journalism Henry worked as a professional economist for a consulting firm. He has frequently appeared on broadcast media including BBC News, NPR and CNN International. Henry has an M.Phil. in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford and a B.A. in PPE from Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was the John Hicks Foundation prize winner.

11:55 AM

Ministerial keynote

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen

Minister, Trade and Industry, Norway

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen

Minister, Trade and Industry, Norway

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen is a Norwegian politician, MP for the Conservative Party who has served as the Minister of Education and Research since 16 October 2013. He is currently the minister of trade and industry.

Isaksen edited the newspaper Xtra, published by the Young Conservatives (Unge Høyre), the youth wing of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2004, and he was the leader of the Young Conservatives from 2004 to 2008. Prior to entering politics full-time, Isaksen worked as a freelance journalist and was the political editor in the Gazette Minerva. Isaksen holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Oslo. His master's thesis was on Friedrich Hayek. In 2008 he published the book The Right Turn. For a New Conservatism, which was printed in three editions.

Hailing from Porsgrunn, he served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Telemark during the 2005–2009 term. In the 2009 election he was the top candidate for the Telemark Conservatives and was elected to the parliament for the first time.

In 2007 he was named Norway's most talented young politician by VG

12:10 PM

Networking lunch

1:20 PM

The Economist debates: This house believes in free trade

As a policy matter, free trade suffers from a number of problems that make it an easy target for protectionists and economic nationalists. One is that the benefits from trade tend to be dispersed while the negative impacts—in the form of job losses and lower wages—tend to be concentrated. This has created a vocal segment of the population in most developed countries who have legitimate complaints about free trade and a strong incentive to act on them at the ballot box. This is compounded by another problem: in general, supporters of free trade tend to take its many virtues as self-evident and therefore exert little to come to its defense.In this session, debaters will argue for or against the case for trade,openness and internationalism.

Robert Koopman

Chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division, World Trade Organization

Robert Koopman

Chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division, World Trade Organization

Robert Koopman serves as the chief economist and director of the economic research and statistics division at the World Trade Organisation. In this post Mr Koopman provides the secretariat and member countries with analysis and information that promote a deeper understanding of trade and trade policy's role in economic growth and development. Previously he served as the director of operations and chief operating officer for the United States International Trade Commission. Mr Koopman oversaw the commission’s trade-policy research and negotiation assistance to the president, the US Trade Representative and Congress, as well as its other statutory responsibilities. He is also currently a visiting professor of economics at the Graduate Institute Geneva and was previously an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Walden Bello

Professor of sociology, State University of New York

Walden Bello

Professor of sociology, State University of New York

Walden Bello is currently a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2009 to 2015, during which he was chairman of the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs.
His resignation from the House in 2015 in protest at the policies of the Aquino administration is the only instance of a resignation on principle in the history of the Congress of the Philippines. His book Deglobalisation: Ideas for a New World Economy (London: Zed, 2002) is widely credited as being the first to propose deglobalisation as a development strategy. He is the author or co-author of 22 other books, including Paper Dragons: China and the Next Crash (London: Zed, 2019), Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far Right (Nova Scotia: Fernwood 2019), Capitalism’s Last Stand? (London: Zed, 2013), Food Wars (London: Verso, 2009), Dragons in Distress: Asia’s Miracle Economies in Crisis (London: Penguin, 1990), and Development Debacle: the World Bank in the Philippines (San Francisco: Institute for Food and Development Policy, 1982).
Bello got his BA from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1966 and his PhD in sociology from Princeton University in 1975.
He received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize) in Stockholm in 2003 for his work showing the negative impact of corporate-driven globalisation. He was also named Outstanding Public Scholar by the International Studies Association in San Francisco in 2008. He has honorary doctorates from Panteion University in Athens (2006) and Murdoch University in Perth (2012).

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

1:55 PM

The Trump effect: What’s next?

Motivated by ideas anchored in a long gone era and a number of legitimate complaints, the current American administration’s trade policy is seen by many as the greatest threat to the global trading system in a generation. What was once hoped to be rhetoric has been turned into action. President Trump has withdrawn America from the TPP, as promised, and has targeted allies and adversaries alike with tariffs on imports worth hundreds of billions of dollars.These actions, and the potential for others, may affect Asia more than any other region. In this session, we gather experts from Asia and America to discuss the Trump administration’s trade policy, next steps it might take, and what is means for countries in Asia, as well as to determine how international trade will develop after Trump.

Masahiro Kawai

Dr. Masahiro KAWAI Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo and Representative Director and Director General, Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia (ERINA)

Dr. Kawai holds a BA in economics from the University of Tokyo and an MS in statistics and a PhD in economics from Stanford University.

Dr. Kawai began his professional career as a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He then taught as an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Economy of The Johns Hopkins University, and as a Professor of Economics at the Institute of Social Science of the University of Tokyo.
He also served as: Chief Economist for the World Bank’s East Asia and the Pacific Region; Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs of Japan’s Ministry of Finance; President of the Policy Research Institute of Japan’s Finance Ministry; Special Advisor to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President in charge of regional economic cooperation and integration; and Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).
Dr. Kawai assumed his current position at the University of Tokyo in April 2014 and at ERINA in April 2016.

In addition, Dr. Kawai is also a Councilor of the Bank of Japan, a Senior Fellow at the Policy Research Institute of Japan’s Ministry of Finance, and Vice President of the Council on East Asia Community.

Dr. Kawai’s recent publications focus on Asian economic integration. He has published a number of books and more than 160 academic articles on open-economy macroeconomic issues, regional economic integration and cooperation, and the international economic system.

George Lau

Vice president, European Chamber of Commerce in China

George Lau

Vice president, European Chamber of Commerce in China

George Lau, General Manager of TÜV Rheinland Greater China Products Accreditation and Certification at TÜV Rheinland, where he has worked for 10 years. He is the vice-president of European Chamber of Commerce in China.

Previously, Lau worked as an analyst for ZTE Corporation. As a result of his performance regarding African market development – fulfilling Chinese central government’s mission – he was promoted directly to Assistant to the CEO.

Since 2004, Lau has been studying the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese-foreign cultural differences, socialism with Chinese characteristics etc., to explore strategies of foreign companies in China. He believes that such knowledge is indispensable for multinationals developing in China.

Tamaki Tsukada

Tamaki Tsukada

Tamaki Tsukada was appointed Deputy Assistant Minister (Deputy director general) for Economic Affairs (in charge of G20/G7 affairs) and Latin American Affairs in January 2019.

Prior to his current appointment he served briefly as Deputy Assistant Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs. Previously he was Chief Negotiator for Climate Change and Global Issues (2017-2018) for COP 24-25, while serving as board member of the Green Climate Fund and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1987. Worked in the areas of trade (TPP and bilateral FTAs), development cooperation (loan aid; policy planning; ODA budget) and energy & food security, among others. He was seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat in 2006-2008 as senior coordinator for overseas development cooperation and global health.

Graduated from Tokyo University (BA Law, 1987) and Oxford University (Merton College, BA/MA Modern History, 1990).

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr is the Economics editor for The Economist. He joined the newspaper in 2014 as Britain Economics correspondent before moving to Washington, DC to cover the American economy. In 2018 Henry became the youngest Economics Editor in the newspaper’s history. Before journalism Henry worked as a professional economist for a consulting firm. He has frequently appeared on broadcast media including BBC News, NPR and CNN International. Henry has an M.Phil. in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford and a B.A. in PPE from Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was the John Hicks Foundation prize winner.

2:20 PM

Networking coffee break

2:45 PM

Strategy session A: The future of trade in a technology-driven world

E-commerce, blockchain, artificial intelligence, mobile payments and 3D-printing are changing the way governments and business view trade by making processes more efficient and inclusive. This strategy session will determine the effects of technology on supply chains, consumption and homegrown manufacturing, how governments can create a framework to use technology in trade and how the private sector can ready itself for future technological developments.

Steve Leonard

Chief executive, SGInnovate

Steve Leonard

Chief executive, SGInnovate

Steve Leonard is a technology-industry leader with a wide range of experience, having played key roles in building several global companies in areas such as software, hardware and services. In his current role as the founding chief executive of SGInnovate—a private limited company wholly owned by the Singapore government—he leads an organisation that builds “deep-tech” companies. Capitalising on the science and technology research for which Singapore has gained a global reputation, Mr Leonard’s team works with local and international partners, including universities, venture capitalists and major corporations, to help technical founders imagine, start and scale globally relevant early-stage technology companies from Singapore.

Mr Leonard previously served three years as the executive deputy chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority, a government statutory board under the purview of Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information. In that role, he had executive responsibility at the national level for various aspects of the information technology and telecommunications industries.

Goldy Hyder

President and chief executive, Business Council of Canada

Goldy Hyder

President and chief executive, Business Council of Canada

Goldy Hyder was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada, effective October 15, 2018. Founded in 1976, the Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of the chief executives and entrepreneurs of 150 leading Canadian companies, representing every major industry and every region of the country.

From July 2014 to October 2018, Mr. Hyder was President & CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, providing strategic communications counsel to the firm’s extensive and diverse client base. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton in 2001, he served as director of policy and chief of staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and former leader of the then federal Progressive Conservative Party.

In addition to his achievements in business and public policy, Mr. Hyder has an extensive record of service on behalf of the charitable and non-profit sectors, including as chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and as an Executive Committee member of Century Initiative. He is a past co-chair of the United Way of Ottawa Campaign Cabinet and a former member of the Board of Governors at Carleton University.

Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and public policy. From 2011 to 2018 he appeared weekly as a panelist on CBC Television’s On the Money. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 in recognition of his contributions to Canada. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Calgary in public policy, with a specialization in policy-making during times of crisis.

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

2:45 PM

Strategy session B: Plugging the gap in trade finance

The ADB was one of the first major institutions to sound the alarm about the massive shortfall in trade credit, estimating the gap between supply and demand in 2016 to have been $1.5trn. That figure could, by some forecasts, expand to as much as $2.4 trn by 2025 if action isn’t taken. This strategy session will convene policymakers and executives from the financial sector to discuss approaches to extending trade finance to more firms so that they contribute to local and global growth.

Vivek Pathak

Regional director, East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation

Vivek Pathak

Regional director, East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation

Vivek Pathak was appointed IFC’s Rregional Ddirector for East Asia and the Pacific in October 2014. He has extensive emerging- markets experience in principal investments, restructuring and risk management across all industry sectors. Over the past 16 years at IFC, he has covered Asia -Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia in various leadership capacities. In his current role, based in Hong Kong, Mr Pathak leads IFC’s advisory and investment operations (which in fiscal year 2014 reached a record $4.2bn investment volume) across East Asia and the Pacific, which in fiscal year 2014 reached a record $4.2 billion investment volume.

Previously, he served as IFC’s dDirector for Iinvestment and Ccredit Rrisk. bBased in Washington, DC, he manageding a team of seasoned professionals responsible for global coverage of credit risk, investment risk, integrity risk, pricing and credit/equity training. Prior to that, he oversaw IFC’s portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa, and led IFC’s business- development efforts in frontier markets like such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

Before joining IFC, Mr Pathak worked with Bank of America and ABN AMRO Bank in new business and risk management. In his capacity as Hhead of Rrisk mManagement at ABN AMRO Bank Thailand, he was responsible for managing a large and diverse portfolio during the Asian Ffinancial Ccrisis. Mr Pathak holds a Mmaster’s degree in Mmanagement from the University of Mumbai, India.

Duncan Innes-Ker

Regional director, Asia, Economist Intelligence Unit

Duncan Innes-Ker

Regional director, Asia, Economist Intelligence Unit

Duncan Innes-Ker heads a team of analysts covering Asia, in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Analysis division. He is personally responsible for compiling economic and political forecasts for a number of countries in the region, most notably China. Mr Innes-Ker has helped to produce customised research and analysis on many topics, ranging from a long-term forecast of the outlook for Asia to 2050 to the impact of China's leadership changes in 2017.

Mr Innes-Ker is a frequent commentator for news services such as the BBC and CNN. He often presents at conferences and has also been invited to share his perspectives on Asia with a number of senior corporate executives, academics and diplomatic officials.

Mr Innes-Ker joined The EIU in 2005. He has a master's degree in Pacific Asian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a BA in Chinese studies from Oxford University.

2:45 PM

Strategy session C: Making trade sustainable

Sustainability is synonymous with environmental protection, but the concept is broader and even more important than that, particularly in the area of trade. For trade to retain support in Asia and around the world, other aspects of sustainability, including social sustainability, need greater consideration amongst both policymakers and the private sector. This session will discuss a range of initiatives that make trade profitable and sustainable for companies and the public.

Masamichi Kono

Deputy secretary-general, OECD

Masamichi Kono

Deputy secretary-general, OECD

Mr. Masamichi Kono was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD in August 2017. His portfolio includes the strategic direction of OECD policy on Environment, Development, Green Growth, Financial and Enterprise Affairs and Anti-Corruption along with representing the OECD at the Financial Stability Board meetings. Prior to joining the OECD, Mr. Kono was the Vice Minister for International Affairs, Financial Services Agency, Japan (JFSA) and President of the Asian Financial Partnership Center of the JFSA. Mr. Kono was Secretary to the WTO Financial Services Committee between 1994 and 1999. Mr. Kono holds a B.A. in law from Tokyo University.

Adisorn Promtep

Director general, Department of Fisheries, Thailand

Adisorn Promtep

Director general, Department of Fisheries, Thailand

Dr. Promthep joined as a fisheries biologist, Sakolnakorn Fisheries Station, Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Fisheries and in 1987 he joined as a Fisheries Biologist, Water Sources Rehabilitation Section, Inland Fisheries Division, Department of Fisheries. In 2003 he was elected Minister-Counselor, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. In 2004 he was elected as the Minister, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. 2009 he was elected as the Minister, Office of Agricultural Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy in Washington D.C., USA. In 2012 he was appointed as the Deputy Director, Department of Fisheries and was promoted as the Director General, Department of Fisheries, Thailand.

Wilkie Wong

Managing director, Esquel Group

Wilkie Wong

Managing director, Esquel Group

Wilkie Wong is the Managing Director of Finance and Production Planning of the Esquel Group. Established in 1978, Esquel has grown to become vertically integrated, with operations spanning cotton farming, yarn spinning, fabric, apparel and accessories production, research and development as well as design and merchandising services, producing over 100 million shirts annually and providing one-stop cotton shirt solution to leading apparel brands and retailers.

Wilkie oversees the accounting, planning and treasury functions, providing strategic advisory and business partnership to top management and business unit leaders in the Group. In addition, he is also responsible for the production planning and control functions, aligning the Group’s sales demand and production capacity. Since joining Esquel in 2004, Wilkie has led the General Management Office, Corporate Communications, Information Technology, Logistics as well as Global Sourcing.

Before joining Esquel, Wilkie was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising senior executives in leading companies in Greater China, with a focus on the consumer goods and retail sector. Wilkie has extensive consulting experience in strategy and business development, M&A advisory, organizational restructuring and operational improvements.

Wilkie received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and his Masters of Science degree in Operations Research from Columbia University in New York. He also earned his Masters in Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Christopher Clague

Chris Clague is managing editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in Asia. He is an expert in international trade and trade policy and has also advised clients throughout the Asian region on the strategic implications of megatrends and political risk. He was a consultant in The EIU’s Tokyo office and was the project leader and editor for the EIU/Nikkei BP publication The World to 2050 (available in Japanese only).

Prior to joining The EIU, he was a senior consultant and Director of China Operations for a boutique consulting firm that worked with governments and MNCs on issues related to international trade, investment, and commodities.

Chris holds an MSc in Asian Politics from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a certificate in International Trade Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute’s summer academy. He provides regular commentary on trade and the Japanese economy to international media.

2:45 PM

Strategy session D: The sinews of trade

Roads, bridges, rail and ports are the connective tissue between global production and consumption. In much of the developing world, however, that tissue is thin, where it exists at all. For countries to reap the benefits from trade, it needs to be grown and strengthened in the form of investment from the private and public sectors. This session will discuss where the needs are most pressing, how they can be addressed and where the funding can come from.

Edimon Ginting

Dr. Edimon Ginting is deputy director general of Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Before this role, Dr. Ginting was director of the Economic Analysis and Operational Support Division where supervised the review of economic viability of all ADB projects and leads the preparation of country diagnostic studies for ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs). He joined ADB in 2007 and subsequently led several large and strategic ADB operations to support economic reforms, including loans to support the DMCs’ response to the global financial crisis. Before joining ADB, he was an economist at the International Monetary Fund; advisor to the Indonesian Parliament; research economist at the Productivity Commission, Australia; researcher and lecturer at the University of Indonesia; postdoctoral fellow at Monash University; and research economist at Gadjah Mada University. He received his PhD in economics from Monash University.

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Tim Smith

Chief executive, Asia, APM Terminals

Tim Smith

Chief executive, Asia, APM Terminals

Tim Smith graduated in 1985 from the University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) 1 st class in Geography. He has worked in the container shipping industry for over 30 years, for much of that time in Asia, including 18 years living in Hong Kong. Initially with P&amp; Containers and then P&amp; Nedlloyd, Tim has been with the Maersk Group since their acquisition of P&amp; Nedlloyd in 2005.

From 2008-2015, Tim held the role of Chief Executive of the North Asia Region, for Maersk Line. Tim was responsible for all aspects of Maersk Line’s business in Japan, Korea, China/HK and Taiwan, which together contribute more than 35% of the global Maersk Line throughput, and a turnover in excess of US$10bn. The country and functional managers reporting to Tim were responsible for sales and marketing, operations, customer service, finance, HR, IT and administration. In July 2015, Tim relocated to Beijing, China and assumed a new role as Chairman of Maersk China and Chief Maersk Group Representative for North Asia. Reporting to Maersk Group Chief Executive Soren Skou, in this role, Tim was responsible to maximize the Group’s commercial opportunities across all its various business units in the Asia region, as well as for risk management and compliance, and leadership development.

From March 2018, Tim has returned to Hong Kong and taken on the role as Chief Executive, Asia Region for APM Terminals. APM Terminals is the port and terminals division of the Maersk Group. In this role, Tim is responsible for the profit and loss of APMT’s 14 terminals in the Asia region, as well as for sales/marketing of APMT’s global network of terminals to Asian customers.

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr

Economics editor, The Economist

Henry Curr is the Economics editor for The Economist. He joined the newspaper in 2014 as Britain Economics correspondent before moving to Washington, DC to cover the American economy. In 2018 Henry became the youngest Economics Editor in the newspaper’s history. Before journalism Henry worked as a professional economist for a consulting firm. He has frequently appeared on broadcast media including BBC News, NPR and CNN International. Henry has an M.Phil. in economics from Nuffield College, Oxford and a B.A. in PPE from Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was the John Hicks Foundation prize winner.

3:55 PM

Trade disrupted

From the first ships and the invention of the steam engine to containerisation and the ICT revolution, technology has always enabled greater trade. The massive expansion in trade that began in the mid-1990s was as attributable to the commercialisation of new technologies as it was to the reduction in trade barriers contained in the agreement that founded the WTO. That relationship between trade and technology is shifting. Technological advances still facilitate trade, but they also raise the possibility of re-shoring both production and services, a development with wide-ranging implications for countries in Asia that rely on exports for growth. In this session, we discuss the future of trade in era of artificial intelligence, 3D printing and a host of other technologies here and on the horizon.

Huiyao Wang

Founder and president, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Huiyao Wang

Founder and president, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Dr. Huiyao (Henry) WANG is the Founder and President of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), the leading Chinese think tank that ranked among the top 100 think tanks in the word and No. 1 social think thank in China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang appointed Dr. Wang as a Counselor of China State Council, China’s cabinet. Dr.Wang is also Vice Chairman of China Association for International Economic Cooperation Association of the Ministry of Commerce and Chairman of China global Talent Society under Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. In addition, he is the Dean of Institute of Development Studies of China Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. He is also a Vice Chairman of China Western (Overseas) Returned Scholars Association.

Dr. Wang is a steering committee member of Paris Peace Forum initiated by French President Macron. He also sits on the Migration Advisory Board of International Organization of Migration (IOM) of United Nation. He is also a member of Yale University Asia Development Advisory Council and a member of Duke Kunshan University Advisory Council. In addition, he is a Steering Committee Member of Global Competent Council of Tsinghua University and also a steering committee member of Metropolis International Network. He is a also a Policy Fellow of IZA.

Dr. Wang served as an official with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade in charge of Chinese companies going global. He had also worked as Managing Director for Asia at SNC-Lavalin in Montreal and also served as Chief Trade Representative of Canada Quebec Government office in Hong Kong and greater China.

Dr. Wang pursued his PhD studies in International business and global management at University of Western Ontario and University of Manchester. He was a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and a Visiting Fellow at Brookings Institution as well as a Senior Fellow at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He has taught at Peking University,Tsinghua University and University of Western Ontario as adjunct professor. He has published over 70 books and more than 100 articles and papers in both Chinese and English on global trade, global governance, global migration, China outbound and inbound investment, Chinese Diasporas and Chinese think tanks.

Andrew Hoad

Chief executive and managing director, Asia Pacific, DP World

Andrew Hoad

Chief executive and managing director, Asia Pacific, DP World

Andrew Hoad is the chief executive and managing director of DP World’s Asia-Pacific region, and has over 30 years of experience in the maritime industries in positions based within the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

Before taking up his current position, he held the position of executive vice-president of Asian Terminals Inc., DP World’s terminal portfolio within the Philippines, and has also led terminals in Peru and the Dominican Republic.

Mr Hoad began his career with the P&O Group, where he undertook a variety of management roles, including general manager for Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea region, before transferring to CSX World Terminals as commercial director and general manager for the Europe region. He joined DP World with its acquisition of CSX World Terminals in 2005, as commercial director for the Asia-Pacific region.

He is a graduate of Cambridge University, with logistics qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, and has participated in executive programmes at IMD Business School, the National University of Singapore and Case Western Reserve University.

Sanne Manders

Chief operating officer, Flexport

Sanne Manders

Chief operating officer, Flexport

Sanne Manders is the COO of Flexport. As COO, he’s responsible for sales, customer service, operations, procurement, and carrier relations across all modes of transportation. Before Flexport, he was at BCG, a global management consultancy, leading customer relations in its logistics and supply chain practice. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University.

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox

Emerging markets editor, The Economist

Simon Cox is emerging-markets editor at The Economist. He is based in Hong Kong. Mr Cox has spent over ten years with the newspaper, including stints in London and Delhi. In 2014, he left journalism to become managing director and Asia-Pacific investment strategist for BNY Mellon, before returning to the paper in 2016.

During his career at The Economist and BNY Mellon, Mr Cox has written a variety of special reports and white papers. He has explored the technological ambitions of India and China ("High-tech Hopefuls", 2007), the world's arduous recovery from the global financial crisis ("The Long Climb", 2009), China's surprisingly resilient economy ("Pedalling Prosperity", 2012), and Korea's social and geopolitical divisions ("Parallel Worlds", 2013). In 2008, he edited "The Growth Report", published by the Commission on Growth and Development. He was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to the Economics of China.

He studied at Cambridge, Harvard and the London School of Economics.

4:30 PM

In the zones

There are thousands of free trade zones across the globe, with more being
established every year. The local and regional economic benefits these zones can provide are significant, which is why they’ve become so popular, especially in Asia. Yet a number of zones have also become hot beds for criminal activity. In these cases, free trade zones are virtually free of oversight from customs authorities or local law enforcement. Free trade zone operators can retain the beneficial aspects of the zones without abrogating their responsibility to combat illicit activities. In this session we bring together leading experts on free trade zones, including operators, law enforcement and from international organisations to discuss how that balance can be maintained.

Kunio Mikuriya

Secretary general, World Customs Organization

Kunio Mikuriya

Secretary general, World Customs Organization

Mr. Kunio Mikuriya has been Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 1 January 2009. He provides leadership and executive management for the global Customs community’s priorities, including developing global Customs instruments, standards, and tools; securing and facilitating global trade; realizing revenues; building Customs business partnerships; and delivering capacity building in support of Customs reform and modernization. Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan's Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Mr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations. Mr. Mikuriya has a degree in law from the University of Tokyo and a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent.

Ms. Peng currently serves as Co-Chair of Apparel & Footwear Committee of AmCham Hong Kong and is a Senior Advisor to Hong Kong General Chamber of Textile Limited. She is fluent in English and Mandarin. Ms. Peng holds a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College Of Law, a Diploma from Peking University Law School in Beijing, and a B.A. from Chengchi University College of Law.

Christopher Clague

Chris Clague is managing editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in Asia. He is an expert in international trade and trade policy and has also advised clients throughout the Asian region on the strategic implications of megatrends and political risk. He was a consultant in The EIU’s Tokyo office and was the project leader and editor for the EIU/Nikkei BP publication The World to 2050 (available in Japanese only).

Prior to joining The EIU, he was a senior consultant and Director of China Operations for a boutique consulting firm that worked with governments and MNCs on issues related to international trade, investment, and commodities.

Chris holds an MSc in Asian Politics from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a certificate in International Trade Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute’s summer academy. He provides regular commentary on trade and the Japanese economy to international media.

5:00 PM

Chair’s closing remarks followed by cocktail reception

Venue

Refined luxury and modern convenience blend seamlessly here at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong. Boasting a central location in the Admiralty area of the city, atop Pacific Place Mall and moments from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the hotel welcomes you to the luxury accommodation and you will enjoy free Wi-Fi access and 24-hour room service, relax with a dip in the heated outdoor pool, and choose from eight on-site restaurants, bars and lounges, each with its own distinct personalities.

Special rates during the event period on Feb 27-Mar 1 are available at

JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong

Sponsors

Diamond sponsor

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from approximately 3,800 offices in 66 countries and territories in our geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of $2,603bn at 30 September 2018, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

Gold sponsor

Hinrich Foundation

The Hinrich Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on promoting sustainable global trade. It is a unique, independent and authoritative Asia-based voice on global trade.

The Foundation’s work is grounded in the belief that sustainable global trade requires mutually acceptable terms and balanced economic, social and environmental outcomes.

It produces forward-looking policy research, as well as programs that educate and engage stakeholders on global trade issues. The aim of the Foundation is to influence and improve trade behaviors and outcomes, so that trade continues to create maximum benefits for all its participants, for geopolitical stability.

Silver sponsor

Silver sponsor

DP World

At DP World we enable smarter trade to make a better future for everyone. We have a heritage to be proud of, growing from a local port operator to a leading enabler of global trade. From our beginnings in 1972 at Port Rashid in Dubai (UAE), we now have a team of over 36,000 people working at more than 78 terminals around the world. We are dedicated to helping our customers move goods around the world in ways that are smarter, faster, safer and more cost-efficient. Our aim is to improve performance at all stages of the global supply chain, from points of manufacture to points of consumption. We are proud to be in a business where we can make a positive difference to the world- not just our customers, our people and our shareholders but for all the communities in which we operate around the globe.

Supporting organisations

Supporting organisations

Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Established on 1 April 2018, the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office (“PICO”) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region seeks to enhance policy innovation in the Government through providing evidence-based research support and coordinating the efforts of different stakeholders; supports the senior leadership to advance Hong Kong’s strategic positioning in the global economic arena; fosters a closer network with local and external academia and think tanks to encourage public policy discussions and provides “first-stop and one-stop” project consultation and co-ordination services to innovative projects that could bring broader benefits to the society.

Supporting organisations

Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)

Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with the mainland, Asia and the world. With more than 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities in the mainland and international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels.

Supporting associations

Supporting association

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

Supporting association

The Asia Business Trade Association

The Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA): Harnessing the potential of tradeThe Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA) serves as the premier business association dedicated to the promotion of regional trade issues in cooperation with governments. The Association represents companies across Asia and advocates on trade issues to enhance their performance and ensure that our members remain globally competitive.
The ABTA brings together companies based in Asia who want to see better trade policies and more effective and efficient trade rules and regulations. The Association helps firms connect to the latest policies and trends. ABTA helps members perform better in market. The network of companies across Asia allows firms to leverage on one another, learn best practices and see the latest developments in business. This gives ABTA members an ability to enhance their performance and capabilities to deliver tangible results and compete in the dynamic and changing business environment. The ABTA is a resource for governments and business community, acting as an advocate and thought-leader on key trade issues. ABTA brings together different sectors and firms of different sizes with governments to develop a better trade and business environment for all.

Supporting association

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) is a not-for-profit organization focused on Canada's relations with Asia. Our mission is to be Canada's catalyst for engagement with Asia and Asia's bridge to Canada. APF Canada is dedicated to strengthening ties between Canada and Asia with a focus on expanding economic relations through trade, investment and innovation; promoting Canada's expertise in offering solutions to Asia's climate change, energy, food security and natural resource management challenges; building Asia skills and competencies among Canadians, including young Canadians; and, improving Canadians' general understanding of Asia and its growing global influence.A leader in research and analysis on Canada-Asia relations for over thirty years, the Foundation is well known for its annual national opinion polls of Canadian attitudes regarding relations with Asia, including Asian foreign investment in Canada and Canada's trade with Asia. The Foundation places an emphasis on China, India, Japan and South Korea while also developing expertise in emerging markets in the region, particularly economies within ASEAN.

Media partner

AsianNGO

AsianNGO is the prime source of information on grants and funding opportunities, learning tools and knowledge resources, partnerships, news, events and policy updates in the development sector across Asia.

As a social enterprise venture of ASSIST (Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation), AsianNGO is the first and only platform for Asia's social sector and was initiated to address the three main issues that NGOs face today: finding funds, partners and relevant learning resources for better management.

Supporting association

The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

The Chamber is an independent international business body representing a broad span of British, Hong Kong and international companies doing business in, with, or through Hong Kong. It is member- led, independent of government, and is financed by subscriptions and income from its activities. The Chamber encourages diversity in its membership and activities.

Supporting association

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

Founded in 1977, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong is a proactive, non-government body that provides an extensive networking platform for some 1,000 members with business interests in Canada, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The Chamber is one of the largest Canadian business organizations outside of Canada, one of the leading and most active international chambers in Hong Kong, and an influential business group in Asia-Pacific. Like Canada itself, the Chamber’s strengths are built on the diversity of its members who range from blue-chip Canadian and well-known Hong Kong corporate names through to local startups.

Strengthening Canada-Asia connectivity in a shifting world: Canchamhk Luncheon with ABLAC. For more details: https://www.cancham.org/event/?eid=1109

Supporting association

Global Trade Professionals Alliance (GTPA)

GTPA is a global network for the development of international standards to drive and facilitate international trade. GTPA provides an ecosystem to connect individuals, business, organisations and governmental bodies with professionals involved in all aspects of international trade.

Our goal is to bring people and organisations together to:

build professional capabilities in trade

advocate the benefits and opportunities of trade

facilitate networking

improve the performance and success of companies in global trade

improve the trade process

advance international development

support the development of MSMEs and their access to global supply chains

PR partner

Kreab

Kreab, founded in 1970, headquartered in Stockholm, is a global strategic communications consultancy firm with a team of 400 consultants of 40 nationalities in 25 countries. Kreab advises on issues of strategic importance in business, finance and politics, helping clients to solve complex communications challenges and achieve their strategic goals.

Supporting association

The International Chamber of Commerce - Hong Kong (ICC-HK)

The International Chamber of Commerce - Hong Kong (ICC-HK) was inaugurated in December 1998 as the Hong Kong representative body of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). It seeks to project Hong Kong's business interests in the international community and to mobilize Hong Kong's business experience to contribute to the key activities of ICC. ICC-HK further aims to share Hong Kong's experience with businesses elsewhere particularly in areas of policy issues, international standards and business practices. It participates in ICC's endeavours in setting business standards and in promoting interflow of business around the world.

Supporting association

The Lion Rock Institute

The Lion Rock Institute is a charity founded in 2004 with the aim of highlighting the importance of free markets in Hong Kong. Our mission is to impact policy formation today and to deliver our message to students so that future generations remain conscious of the vital role of free markets in Hong Kong’s history and future.

Supporting association

McKinsey Global Institute

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the business and economics research arm of McKinsey & Company, was established in 1990 to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving global economy. Our goal is to provide leaders in the commercial, public, and social sectors with the facts and insights on which to base management and policy decisions. The partners of McKinsey & Company fund MGI’s research; it is never commissioned by any business, government, or other institution. The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania ranked MGI the Number 1 private sector think tank in the world in its 2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index.For further information about MGI and to download all reports for free, please visit: www.mckinsey.com/mgi

Enquiry

Tickets and further information

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Speaking opportunity

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Resources

Trade in 2019: Big decisions loom – but there are wildcards too | Contributed by HSBC

SPECIAL REPORT FROM THE ECONOMIST | The Hinrich Foundation Sustainable Trade index

The index seeks to measure the capacity of 20 economies—19 in Asia along with the US—to participate in the international trading system in a manner that supports the long-term domestic and global goals of economic growth, environmental protection, and strengthened social capital. The index includes 24 indicators, grouped in these three pillars, that together measure whether a country is engaged in sustainable trade.

Speaking opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities

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